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There was an uptick in brown marmorated stink bug nymphs and adults caught in traps this week. Fruit and vegetable growers in the southern Lower Peninsula should be scouting this season.

Late-season BMSB damage in peaches can be hard to see, but when sliced, it’s apparent where the stylet (piercing-sucking mouthparts of plant bugs) entered the fruit. A reddish line goes down about 0.25 inch into the fruit (as indicated by circle).

This is the sixth weekly report of the Michigan State University Extensionbrown marmorated stink bug monitoring network. Traps were checked at more than 80 sites for brown marmorated stink bug nymphs and adults using pyramid or Rescue style traps baited with commercial lures. We have now caught a total of 236 brown marmorated stink bug nymphs and adults in traps this season. This week, 114 nymphs and 22 adult brown marmorated stink bugs were captured from 16 traps at 13 sites: six apple orchards in Kent, Berrien and Ottawa counties; a cherry orchard in Van Buren County; a peach orchard in Berrien County; four vineyards in Berrien and Ingham counties; and two urban/residential sites in Saginaw and Berrien counties.

Since nymphs and adults can cause damage when they feed on fruit, growers in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula are strongly encouraged to scout for brown marmorated stink bugs – if they haven’t in the past – based on where we know it to be well-established as a nuisance pest in homes.

Traps are easy to deploy and check, but the area of influence for a single baited trap appears to be relatively small, so it is important to place them near the crop and combine trapping with other sampling methods such as limb-jarring of fruit tree branches over beating trays or sweep-netting in orchard edges close to woodlots and riparian areas. Visual inspection of orchard edges for the presence of fruit injury, or for the insects themselves, is recommended, especially in Berrien, Van Buren, Kent, Ottawa and Genesee counties where we have known populations or where damage to fruit in commercial peach and apple orchards was reported last season.

Damage to fruit from brown marmorated stink bug feeding can be confused with several disease or nutrient deficiencies, depending on the particular fruit that is affected, so it is important to involve your local MSU Extension fruit educator to help determine what caused the damage or send samples to MSU Diagnostic Services.

For more information about management strategies in fruit should populations reach levels that would require control, please refer to the MSU Extension bulletin E0154, “2016 Michigan Fruit Management Guide.” To learn more about how to monitor for brown marmorated stink bugs, distinguish it from other similar-looking stink bugs and what plants it favors, visit MSU’s Brown Marmorated Stink Bug website.

August 12, 2016 | Julianna Wilson | With first detection of brown marmorated stink bug nymphs occurring this season in southwest Michigan, fruit and vegetable growers in the southern Lower Peninsula should be scouting for nymphs.

August 5, 2016 | Julianna Wilson | First detection of brown marmorated stink bug nymphs this season in southwest Michigan; fruit and vegetable growers in the southern Lower Peninsula should be scouting for nymphs.